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Sunday, 29 December 2013

If you know me, you'll be very much aware I am a true Kardashian fan. I'm pretty sure I've seen every episode of every series of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, and I absolutely love it. There's something relaxing about watching their lives and forgetting about your own for half an hour/an hour! If you've ever wondered 'what is their talent...?', then I am here to argue it is makeup, with the Kim Kardazzle Palette to prove it.

I won't lie, the name is very cheesy, and gives the palette a cheap impression in my eyes. However, as the saying goes, don't judge a book buy it's cover (or it's name...). Housed inside a sequin printed beige/pink compact (that I stupidly forgot to photograph) are eight eyeshadows (4 mattes and 4 shimmers) and two blushes, as well as a highlight for good measure. I do think there should have been a bronzer instead of another blush though, as it would have completed the trio nicely. Despite my moans, the three pans in the base of the palette are well pigmented and formulated shades. The highlight is especially beautiful, a golden hue that adds so much warmth to the face that a champagne just does not sometimes.

Something worth mentioning is the size. I expected it to be a lot larger than it is, as you can never tell with online stock photos. For comparison, it is about the size as a typical credit card. I read about the small size in another review, so I had anticipated the pans to be tiny, but they were actually very reasonable. Also whilst we're discussing packaging, the blushes are accessed through sliding out a lower compartment. A mirror is also featured in the upper lid, which is always handy.

The matte eyeshadows aren't UD Naked Basics standard, but they're not too far off. Each is well pigmented, and rather smooth. The two browns are lovely crease shades and blend very easily, as do the rest. For the shimmers, they are the stars of the palette. The lightest gold is not as perfect as it's sisters, being less pigmented and slightly more chunky in texture, but still workable and certainly not useless nonetheless. However, all is not lost, with the other three beautiful colours making up for it; a smokey brown, medium coppery gold and copper. I've not left these eyeshadows alone since I got them under the tree at Christmas.They do have quite bad fall out, but pressing them on or concealing under the eyes last are quick solutions.

This palette was ordered from Feelunique at £14.95, but I cannot find it again to link. CloudBeauty still has them though, for £1 more at £15.95. Hurry though, they're limited edition. I say 'they're' because all three sisters have one of their own. So, if Kim isn't your cup of tea, there's still the Kourtney or Khloe editions to try!

Friday, 27 December 2013

Over the last few days/week, I've accumulated many beauty related items in the form of sale buys and gifts from friends and family. So, here is my 'what I got for Christmas/boxing day sale haul'. As you would expect, a mini disclaimer here - I'm very grateful for EVERYTHING I received and I'm not here to brag whatsoever!

From my nan and granddad, I received the Lush FUN Gift set, which contains three mini chunks of FUN, and another Candy Mountain bubble bar - my absolute favourite scent ever! The little purple soap bar was from my grandparents too, which smells lovely and will be put to good use.

From my parents, I felt very spoilt. Firstly, I got the Pixi Glow Tonic, which I had chosen on our trip to London, as well as the Silk Nourishment Masque. I'm having a huge skin care kick at the moment so these were very well accepted amongst my bathroom. Also on the skin care front, the Origins Mask Marvels set. This contains three cult masks that I cannot wait to trial and discover. I've used the overnight mask already and was very impressed. Also, the packaging is adorable!

In addition to that, I unwrapped the Bobbi Brown Beauty Rules book which contains some incredible before and after shots, as well as the Kim Kardazzle Palette (which is downright gorgeous), Kardashian Beauty Cabana Bronze Bronzer, Emma Hardie Body Scrub (I chose this in TKMaxx - it was only £10!), Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, and some H&M beauty goodies in my stocking.

The 'main event' from my parents was the 50ml Marc Jacobs Oh Lola! Perfume. This is literally my idea of the perfect scent - a light, fresh balance of fruity and floral. I had no idea this would be under the tree, and I may just have squealed a little when I saw the box. It now takes pride of place on my dressing table in all its beautifully packaged glory.

The last bits were bargains from Boxing Day. For the first time I can remember, we actually braved the sales and went to the local town centre in search of some things; mainly the half price Boots sets. I snagged the Charlie Body spray gift set for £4, which contains two full sized sprays and a full size Revlon Girly nail polish. Being as I had wanted to purchase Girly for a very long time, I could not leave this on the shelf. The No7 eyeshadow set was £6, and contains two brushes (one of which I use daily to blend), and three single shades. I had this in mind before going in, so I was very pleased to see it still there, especially as it was so busy in the shop Lastly in Boots, a trio of Sanctuary Body Butters that only cost £5.

I had to take a look in TKMaxx, in which I discovered a Rodial Glamtox Kit. I've heard good things about the brand before, and knew it was somewhat expensive, so I took this to the checkout for a measly £12. I was so pleased to discover this actually retails at £35 after some online searching, and many full sizes of the minis inside are upwards from the fifty mark.

Finally, (isn't this a long one?) I found the last Nicki Minaj Pink Friday Perfume Set in Boots for £11.50 today (which is why it is not pictured). It contains a 30ml Eau de Parfum, 50ml Body Lotion and 5ml Rollerball.

So, that concludes my rather large haul. I did receive some other lovely non beauty related bits and bobs too, so as before, I am very pleased and appreciative with absolutely everything!

Monday, 23 December 2013

I'm not usually one to follow hype around coveted products. I like to do my research, to avoid disappointment, but I literally could not escape the rave reviews around this wonder item with bold claims. It was in almost every favourites video, every skin care routine, on every blog. Therefore, you can imagine that I had large expectations when I purchased this. It isn't cheap, £24.99 for a 30ml tube, which is ridiculously tiny. To make it a better deal, I waited for it to go a third off, making it £16.66. An excuse to buy it, non?

So, what does it say 'on the tin'?

'Increases skin hydration from below the surface with an ultra-high-quality hyaluronic acid that holds up to 1,000 times its weight in water.'

Including a quantitative sure does make you want to try it out, I know that's what had me sold! I don't know the science behind it, but it's quite simple to use. I pop on a little less than a pea sized amount, spreading it evenly over my face, and then apply any moisturiser on top. My skin has been the most dry I have ever seen it recently, especially around my eyes, under my nose and on my neck. I have been applying the typical E45 cream religiously, but it just wasn't helping. Only now has it cleared up considerably with the use of Hydraluron. The best part is, I didn't even have to wait long to see results. I've been using this since last Wednesday, so, so far, not even a week.

I find my skin is no longer flaky, dull or dry. It looks radiant and smooth, more plump and I kid you not, I walked past a mirror yesterday morning and was so shocked at the glow my skin had, minus makeup.

So after much hesitation, I can confirm that it does work for me. I would recommend this for everyone, from the most oily to the dry skins of us all. Grab one now, and save yourself some money too!

Sunday, 22 December 2013

Christmas. 3 days, 13 hours, 34 minutes and 27 seconds away at the time of writing this post. I'm excited, yes, but also quite sad because it means I'll have to wait another year to have an advent calendar again. *sigh*

This year I managed to snag a Ciaté Mini Mani Month Advent Calendar at the Clothes Show Live for a tenner. It would have been rude to leave it there, being as it is continuing to sell for a more eye watering £42. If you consider that you get 24 mini nail polishes over the course of December, each bottle working out at £1.75, it's actually quite a bargain at full price, let alone at a huge reduction meaning each day, it cost me 42p for a 5ml shade. Score.
I didn't buy into the whole concept before, mainly because I thought some were way too overpriced and quite rubbish, to be blunt. Nevertheless, my mind has been changed and I have truly loved opening a brightly coloured card board door every morning to discover a new polish for my tips inside. On the whole, the colours are gorgeous. A few slightly 'not my cup of tea' shimmery sheer golden pinks shades were found, but of course, you can't please everyone!

Call me sad, but it gave me that kick up the backside to get up, like receiving a gift every morning! Once I have opened every door (sad times), I'll write up a post on the best ones of the bunch. For now, I'm savouring my last few suprises. Why aren't these available for every month of the year?!

Sunday, 15 December 2013

I'm seriously sorry for not posting as frequently as I normally do. The shorter days mean that I cannot take photos at all in the week, so I'm left with weekends which is annoying. Hopefully when it comes to Christmas day my house will be brimming with many beauty picks I can share with you soon!

Red is such a classic colour, not just at this festive time but all year round too. Everyone should own one (or two, three, four, five)! For that reason, here is my red polish podium.

Essie Leading Lady - Red glitter in a deep red base. I adore this one! I actually have it on my nails currently, and it is just so beautiful, being so sparkly. I managed to get this from The Sunday Girl's blog sale a few months ago and I'm so pleased I did!

Rimmel Double Decker Red - a solid red creme that is opaque in 2 coats and uber glossy. I love having a simple red around for any nail art too, so this truly is a staple, and a cheap one at that. It is very good quality for the price, and a nice filler type gift if anyone's present (or your nail polish collection) is looking a little lacking.

Deborah Lippmann Through The Fire - This was a serious TKmaxx score, as I found three Deborah Lippmann shades in a pack for £8! This has an uplifting shimmer that runs through the formula, making your tips appear as if they are glowing. I'm really stuck for words on this one - I don't own anything close to this shade!

Of course these are all from the same area of the colour wheel, but they all share adorable names too. I think we should never forget about a good ol' classic ruby, especially around Santa's visiting time. Anyone for matching lips?

Tuesday, 10 December 2013

Well, who'd have guessed? Another seasonal related post, this time regarding the most gorgeous of eyeshadow colours that have me mesmerised.

I've been loving the pinky-red eye look, which you can see in my post here. The perfect candidiates to fit my staple winter eye criteria have to be Mac Cranberry and Bourjois Prune Nocturne. Describing them as stunning is just not justifiable... you have to see them to believe it!

For more neutral and school-appropriate days, L'Oreal Sahara Treasure and New CID Truffle have been my favourites. I love the cream shadow to smudge on the entire eye and waterline, as it looks so grungy but still beautiful. Not to mention, it's also a very long lasting mousse texture. Sahara Treasure is such a pigmented shadow, and I've now definitely become a member of the Color Infallible Brigade. I have Time Resist White too, which totally put me off, but I could not resist trying out another for £3 in the Boots clearance - I'm so glad I did!

Mac Amber Lights is a shadow I'm trying to make myself wear more. It's a golden/copper shimmery shade, that looks really pretty on brown eyes and I can imagine, every other eye colour too! I do love this because of the formula too, it's perfectly pigmented and has a buttery texture. Divine.

Lastly, the Anastasia Lavish palette. This is gorgeous. If there's one palette you need to see you through Autumn/Winter, it is this. Hands down - it's so pretty! My favourite shades are Antique, Pink Sapphire and Rum Cake. The quality is great and a bonus is that in the set you get 4 little extras: tweezers, eyeshadow brush, liner and brow pencil.
I think the key to applying all of these products successfully is blending, and lots of it. So, off you go ladies and gents - blend to your hearts content!
Megan xPS. I should have a Clothes Show Live Haul up one day if that's what you'd like to see? I'm just struggling to find a time to take pictures when it isn't dark! One of the cons of winter I suppose.

Wednesday, 4 December 2013

I swear I bang on about this every single post, but I just can't get enough of winter and the colours that come alongside it. Today I'm focusing on the jewel tones that resurface every year. If a full on eyeshadow look is not for you (as demonstrated below in a Charlotte Tilbury Article from December Glamour mag) why not test the waters with an intense eyeliner?

The first of the quintet I have chosen, is the Avon Glimmertsick Eyeliner in Twilight Sparkle. I'm not even a blue kind of girl, but this beautiful shimmering navy makes me want to slather cool tones all over my lids until the cows come home.

Secondly, a very affordable £1.50 3 in 1 contour liner from MUA in Smoked Plum. These are so creamy (albeit not extremely long lasting) that still pack a punch with gorgeous shades. For that price, I'd recommend getting the whole line to see you through the party season (or perhaps that's a little excessive).

If you're after something a little warmer, then you might like to get your hands on the Gosh Velvet Touch Eye Pencil in Renaissance Gold. Gosh - you do liners and polishes very well. This is a rather yellow silky gold that has super longevity so it won't slip down your face if you're out all night long. I'm very tempted to test a few more of these (maybe a more brown/bronze shade) because the quality and formula is outstanding for £4.99. This was a complete underdog; I had low expectations if I'm honest until I gave it a swatch!

We're now back to Avon, with a gorgeous emerald shade that looks incredible on brown eyes. Emerald Glow is utterly perfect: long lasting, intensely pigmented, smooth, creamy... the list continues. I'm not one for too much colour, but boy does this look amazing on the lower lashline. You can see it in action in my Autumn Look post.

The last of the bunch is another MUA Extreme 3 in 1 Contour Liner. I'm sure this is Sage, a silver/grey/taupe/blue/green hybrid that I can imagine would suit all eye colours. Once again, the lasting power of these is not the best but for £1.50, the pigmentation is great. This is a lovely unique one to add to your collection.

There you have it - the few eyeliners that are leading my curiosity into the world of colour. I don't think I'm reading to go all neon and yellow yet, but for the moment, I'm very content with my smoky variations.

Sunday, 1 December 2013

From November onwards, all I think about is Christmas. I've purchased the bulk of my gifts early, so I thought I'd share how I have wrapped them.

I got a bit creative, after being inspired by Louise at Sprinkle of Glitter, and decided to decorate each present with gingham ribbon (£1 for 5 metres from Asda) and a cute red and white tag (10 in a pack from Asda, £1). With a cuppa in hand, I entertained myself for a few hours, cutting and sticking, tying and folding. Imagine if I had popped some Kardashians on at the same time... that would have been heaven. Next time it snows, that will be my plan!